Derry district gets set to spruce up the schools

DERRY — Summer vacation is here but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a buzz of activity inside the town’s schools.

Custodians and college students will be busy with maintenance, moving and general repairs during the summer, although the staffing might be a little lower than in past years, according to Jane Simard, the district’s business manager.

“We do have some maintenance issues we’ve been working on since winter,” said Simard. “We’ve done our walk-through, and I’ve prepared my list of repairs we’ll be doing at the schools.”

Unlike last summer, when the floor to the gym at the West Running Brook Middle School was replaced, there are no single large projects on the horizon.

“The majority of the work being done at the schools is painting, and our own custodial staff will be doing the painting,” said Simard. “We won’t be hiring out for that.”

Simard said she will keep the School Board updated over the coming months on the work done by the custodial staff at the district’s five elementary and two middle schools.

She added that there will also be a handful of college students working for the district this summer, but not as many as in past years.

“They are going to be doing lawn work as well as painting and working in the warehouse, bringing materials to the schools,” said Simard. “They are really helpful, but the crew has been cut down significantly.”

In addition to the painting, Simard said there are a number of classrooms that will be moved over the summer.

“The schools will be very busy,” she said. “There will be a list sent out of all the work that will be done.”